


Try

by Koschei_Oakdown



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types, Justice League Action (Cartoon)
Genre: Arguing, Assumptions, Face Punching, Hatred, Internal Conflict, M/M, Unconsciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koschei_Oakdown/pseuds/Koschei_Oakdown
Summary: Set immediately after The Ringer. Sinestro has just been defeated but does not intend to face justice.
Relationships: Hal Jordan/Thaal Sinestro
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Try

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to DC Comics

Everything hurt. Not a cell in Sinestro's body had been spared the pain. The force with which he'd been smashed into the ground had not resulted in a pleasant experience for him and the displeasure only increased now it sunk in that he'd failed. Once again, though it had been a close thing, he'd failed to end Hal Jordan.

Perhaps Thaal couldn't be too hard on himself. After all, Hal hadn't fought fairly. He'd called in several of his insufferable Justice League friends as soon as he'd started to lose the battle. Hopeless coward. Could he not even accept when he'd been defeated by a better?

A few paces away, the Earthlings were conversing, loud enough for Thaal to overhear. "I'll take him back to Oa." That was Hal. "Him and his pet… bug… thing. They can stand trial."

The sound of Hal's voice always caused confusion for Thaal and now was no different. His gaze lowered from Hal and fixed on a bare patch of rock. Though Hal had just smashed Sinestro into an asteroid, Thaal couldn't help his attachment to the human. No matter how hard he tried, he could not cut away the flood of memories that came from hearing the sound so familiar.

Most of the memories were good. Hearing Hal's voice had meant safety, comfort and the knowledge that of all people in the universe, it was Hal alone Thaal would trust. No longer. Each of those memories were now tinged with bitterness. Hal was nothing but a liar and a traitor.

Silence fell over the conversation then. No doubt the Earthlings had left. And yes, that was the sound of their ship flying away, leaving Hal all alone and with much less of an advantage.

A toe nudged Sinestro in the side. He refused to look around. That toe drew back and kicked him sharply in the ribs, causing pain to sear through that spot. No wounded noise came from Sinestro and he still refused to look at Hal.

"Hello?" Hal bent down and clicked his fingers together above Sinestro. "Wakey, wakey, sunshine. You have a trial to attend, just as soon as I arrange one for you. Let's hope you stay locked up for good this time."

Thaal would not deign to hope for his freedom to be taken from him. If Hal thought he would, then the human was an idiot. But that had already been proven many times and unwilling to be kicked by Hal again, Sinestro finally turned to face him.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Hal smiled, straightened and dangled Despotellis above Sinestro. "I was wondering if I should put handcuffs on this little guy."

As Sinestro watched, blank faced, Hal used a construct to tie all of Despotellis's legs together so that the virus looked rather like a light bulb with wires coming out of the base. "There," Hal said, satisfied, and though Despotellis wriggled in an effort to escape, the construct did not budge.

Sinestro said nothing. If Hal squashed Despotellis between his fingers right then and there, it would be no great loss. The Yellow Lantern had failed in its task and Thaal was unimpressed.

"Sinestro," Despotellis complained, just as all of Sinestro's Lanterns liked to do, "you said we would win this fight. You said so." Its bound legs wriggled around in protest.

Snorting, Hal picked Despotellis up by its head and studied the virus carefully. "You shouldn't have believed him, Despotellis. Sinestro" - Hal glanced at him - "has a bad habit of lying to those who trust him." Though the words were said in an offhand, almost casual manner, they were full of a meaning that Thaal could not ignore.

There was never any point to arguing with Hal. All arguments quickly became a circle of blame. It didn't matter to Hal that Sinestro had never lied outright. Omission of certain facts was bad enough to him, even if they'd never been of any concern of Hal's. Thaal had never done anything wrong. It was Hal who was to blame.

Irritated by the path his thoughts had gone down, Sinestro responded snappishly, "This is hardly my fault. You, Despotellis, were the one who told me you'd eliminated that little pest inside my ring. Who is the liar in those circumstances? Perhaps it is you I should have eradicated, long ago."

"I thought it was eliminated!" Despotellis protested, wriggling still more in its place between Hal's fingers. "How could I know it had special powers?" It was clear Despotellis was panicking. Next time, perhaps it wouldn't fail.

"I should replace you with a different deadly virus," Sinestro threatened, not quite finished yet. "A new and better one. It will not fail me as you have."

Despotellis was squirming with anger now but Sinestro didn't care and absolutely planned to make good on his threat. Where he would find another virus, he had no idea but he'd manage it somehow, he was certain of that much.

"Alright, that's enough," Hal was quick to interrupt, tucking Despotellis away and out of sight. "Really?" he added to Sinestro. "Don't threaten a deadly virus. That thing could kill you!" As if Hal cared.

Perhaps though, what worried Hal was Sinestro not receiving a trial if dead. Proper justice, according to Hal, should always be carried out. Yes, that made sense and it caused Sinestro to sneer. "It matters not, Jordan," he said. "I don't intend to attend trial whether Despotellis kills me or not."

"You don't have much choice in the matter," Hal pointed out. "Whether you 'intend' it or not, I'm taking you back to Oa and you'll be put on trial."

Sinestro laughed. "You're an idiot," he insulted. "Do you really think the Guardians will bother with a trial? I will be executed the instant I step foot on Oa. I do not trust them. And neither should you."

It should've been just routine advice. Sinestro would tell any Green Lantern what a fool they were for trusting their masters. With Hal though, it was different. It was always different. Thaal wished desperately that for once, the Green Lantern before him would listen and see sense, that Hal wouldn't get hurt like Sinestro had been.

Without immediately replying, Hal knelt down on one knee before Sinestro. His hand grasped Sinestro's jaw between his fingers. "You're delusional," Hal said simply. "All you want is more recruits for your creepy cult." And it was said with such certainty.

"The Green Lantern Corps is no better," Sinestro retorted, making no move, for now, to push Hal away. "One day, you will surely see it." Perhaps that day would be when Hal's entire life fell apart because of it. Perhaps it would be when Hal was killed. If so, Sinestro didn't plan to die before Hal did.

In no way was Sinestro bound and Hal was a fool for forgetting it. Sinestro attacked, quite suddenly, ripping Hal's arm away from him and shoving Hal to the ground.

A fist smashed into the side of Sinestro's face in retaliation, taking him by surprise and he fell forward only to be caught by Hal and pinned down. "What did you do that for?" the Green Lantern asked. "If you don't want to be executed, I'm your best chance for proper justice. A trial, like I said."

Though Sinestro's ears were ringing, he could still hear the lies Hal was spouting. "As if you would," Sinestro scoffed, conveniently ignoring that it had in fact previously been his assumption of Hal's intentions. "You'd happily stand aside and watch me die. By order of the Guardians, Jordan. You cannot pretend you don't worship the ground they walk on."

Hal just shook his head. "Maybe you'd deserve it," he said then. "Ever thought of that? Not everything is out to get you, Sinestro. You're barely a passing thought to the Corps."

It couldn't be true. Hal's words were intended to hurt Sinestro. There was no other reason for him to lie. And in that moment, Sinestro hated Hal more than anything for trying to put him through additional pain, for not understanding. If he only had the means, he'd slice deep into Hal and make him feel every bit of the pain caused.

Perhaps Hal had an inkling of what Sinestro was thinking for his face twisted unpleasantly. Then it mellowed out and Hal just looked sad and tired. "You really think I would, don't you? Let you die? Maybe I would after a trial and execution order… but not right away like that."

Was Thaal expected to appreciate what Hal was saying? "It's not good enough," Sinestro retorted, ice cold. "It is nowhere near good enough." If Hal really cared, he wouldn't let Sinestro be executed at all.

There was a pause, then Hal agreed quietly, "I know." It was opposed to what Thaal had expected him to say, something along the lines of how Sinestro deserved nothing better than what Hal was giving him.

The conversation ended there and Hal made to move, to get up, no doubt intending to then drag Sinestro back to Oa. Though no longer hated by Sinestro, Hal couldn't be allowed to go through with what he planned. Because Sinestro really did not trust anything Hal said and the last thing he wanted was execution at the hands of the Guardians.

Sinestro's fingers scrabbled in the dirt beside him and they closed around a fist sized hard rock. He wished he didn't have to do it. There was no choice.

The solid impact when the rock whammed into the side of Hal's skull jarred Sinestro's hand. Hal fell limp against him, just as Sinestro had done before. For Hal however, there would be no quick recovery.

With effort, Sinestro extracted himself from the heavy weight on top of him and he eyed Hal regretfully. The human Lantern's eyes were closed and he was not moving, other than to breathe.

For a moment, Sinestro's hands hovered above Hal as he considered how he could increase Hal's comfort level. But Hal was unconscious on a rocky asteroid in the middle of space. There could be no improving that. So instead, Sinestro snatched up Despotellis.

When Despotellis saw what had happened, it asked with extraordinary eagerness, as though trying to make up for its mistake, "Should I kill him?"

One last glance was cast at Hal. "No," Sinestro said firmly. "Do not kill him. He… does not deserve it." And with that, he took off from the asteroid and did not look back.


End file.
